


haircut

by jehoney



Series: jughead and archie [4]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hair Braiding, M/M, Multi, betty wants to french braid it, domestic af i love them, jug grows his hair, really an insane amount
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jehoney/pseuds/jehoney
Summary: "if you see a guy with long hair he's either gorgeous or fucking weird and the answer lays in what type of shoe he's wearing"jughead is both of the above, and owns it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this was mostly inspired by some of the variant covers for the new Riverdale comic series that's coming out this winter (so far away :(( ) in which the character designs are based more on the tv actors and jug's hair is !! so !! floppy !!
> 
> anyway enjoy these babies x

“I really need a haircut.”

If there are five words that are going to haunt Archie Andrews into his early grave, it’s going to be these ones. Namely because Jughead, pulling at the strands that wind out of the back of his beanie, has taken to saying them at least twice daily, usually accompanied by a frustrated groan of some sort. Archie sighs and reaches across the cafeteria table to pinch one of Jug’s fries.

“You know, I may be going out on a limb here, Juggie, but why don’t you just… get one?”

The withering stare the redhead receives is really quite remarkable.

“For one, Archibald, dry humour is my forte, thirdly, you know better than to steal my food,” at this, he crams all of his remaining fries into his mouth to prove a point and continues around the mouthful, “and finally, and primarily, I am an incomprehensibly busy man, and have no time for trivial matters such as haircuts.”

Archie grimaces at his boyfriend’s delightful table manners but can’t help but chuckle.

“I don’t think you’ve quite grasped how adverbs work, pal.”  
“Adverbs, schmadverbs.”

“Besides,” with this, Archie prods Jug’s arm with a finger to punctuate his sentence, “It’s not trivial if you’ve been complaining about it for at least a month.”

Jughead lets out some kind of unintelligible teenage whine and pulls his hat further onto his head. After a moment of contemplation, he leans across the table, and the next is spoken in a conspiratorial whisper.

“How much of a gamer greaseball would I look like if I grew it out?”

And Archie, little shithead that he is, gives a sweet smile and taps the end of Jug’s nose.

“Well, you can only go uphill from here.”

 

* * *

 

The next time Jug’s hair comes up in conversation is two days later (an impressive record), when they’re both half asleep, facing in opposite directions in Archie’s bed. From his spot on the left hand side, all Archie can hear is Jug shifting every three seconds, until he finally reaches over to grab something from the dresser beside the bed, and as the redhead rolls over his suspicions are confirmed.

“Jug, you can’t wear your hat to bed…”

He receives a bleary eyed, wounded look from the dark haired boy, but there’s nothing out of place with him wearing the beanie, in fact, he looks more regular with it on than with his hair spilling out over the pillow.

“Says who? My hair was sticking to my face like crazy, it keeps it out of the way.”

Archie is too tired and confused to argue, so he settles for tucking a stray curl under the brim of the hat, and closes his eyes again. He wonders if he’s going to see Jughead in a headband any time soon, and the picture makes him think that maybe this long hair scenario could be very enjoyable. Just as long as the hat gets a wash sometime soon.

 

* * *

 

Once Betty finds out about the great Hair Growing Plan, there’s quite literally no way to stop her involving herself. She soon realises that her hairstyling repertoire extends to a ponytail and bunches (“Ponytail times two” Kevin reminds her) so Veronica deigns to offer up some suggestions for braids to control Jug’s growing mane. Once it reaches a certain length (somewhere around his chin) his follicles decide they’re not even going to bother controlling themselves and it grows at an impressive rate, until he bears, in Kevin’s opinion, a disturbing resemblance to Joaquin.

And all the while, Betty continues to dog Jug’s footsteps, to Archie’s immense amusement. Today, the suggestion is simple French braids, which Betty says Veronica says are “pretty but practical”, as Jug leans against the lockers next to Archie’s, listening with a single, unimpressed eyebrow raised. She finishes her case, and Jug takes a deep, slow breath to prepare himself for his detailed reply.

“No.”

Betty visibly deflates, and Jug almost wishes he had the capacity to feel sorry for crushing her dreams. But her dreams are dumb.

“They’d keep your hair out of your face!”

She’s persistent, he’ll give her that.

“My hat keeps my hair out of my face.”

And because of her big blue doe-eyes, he even manages a pat on the shoulder. As the three of them move off down the corridor, a dark strand dislodges itself from behind his ear, (because what even is dramatic irony), which Archie, helpfully, tucks back, with a significant glance at Betty that Jughead scowls at.

The blonde moves off to her classroom with an impish smile, calling after the pair of them.

“I’ll get you in braids one day, Forsythe, if it’s the last thing I do!”

 

* * *

 

That day does come, though it’s more of an evening. Betty, Veronica, Jug and Archie are having what could be termed a double date, if they had done anything more than sit around in Archie’ living room and eat pizza, and the night for some (Archie) has wound down (he’s asleep on the sofa). For the rest, the night is far from over, with Veronica watching with a sense of morbid fascination as Jughead and Betty go at each other’s throats in a violent game of Mario Kart.

After the fifteenth victory for Betty (Veronica finds herself strangely aroused by this), they decide video games pose entirely too much potential to destroy lifetime friendships and decide films are the way to go. Veronica is perched on the sliver of sofa not currently occupied by dozing linebacker, with someone who is distinctly not her girlfriend on the floor at her feet.

Jughead leans his head back against her legs, and he’s so tired that Veronica is actually able to remove his hat without being decked in the face, all the while glancing over at Betty who is giving her silent instructions. It takes her a good four minutes to realise just what she’s mouthing, with the accompaniment of some utterly unhelpful hand actions, but gets it eventually.

His hair is still damp from his shower earlier, but enviably soft, spilling dark and wavy over Veronica's hands. She finds it easy to work with, leaving the boy with two beautiful (if she says so herself) French braids, and a smile a mile wide on Betty’s face at the sight. If it makes Betty light up like that, Veronica thinks she would stealth braid Jug’s hair any day.

When Jug wakes up the next morning, sprawled on the sofa-bed that at some point was pulled out to make room for them all, and rocking an indeed pretty yet practical hairstyle (that fits wonderfully under his hat the way a bun never can) he does something he’s now done sixteen times in the last twenty-four hours, and concedes defeat to Elizabeth Cooper.

It’s not without difficulty, and it definitely does not mean she’s allowed to steal any of his breakfast bacon (though boy, does she try), but he keeps the braids in for as long as is hygienic, then calls Veronica to give Archie a masterclass, because what are boyfriends for, right?

And by the time Jug decides the long hair is more trouble and shampoo than it’s worth, and finally goes for a trim, Archie mourns in the salon as is appropriate, comforts Betty, and rejoices internally that he never has to plait anything again.

**Author's Note:**

> check out the rest of the fics in this series bc i'm a slut for these two x


End file.
